Why Russia became smart and We became greedy

"I too have seen men relieve themselves in the subway stations in NY, Paris, Oslo, London and Moscow. It tells me pigs are everywhere which is not the same thing as all Americans, Norwegians, British and Russians are pigs."

***

Where Americans are unique pigs is in their driving. Not all of them, of course, but nobody pays attention to their unique reckless driving. We accept it and assume that chaos is normal on the road, ignoring the international rule to pass on the left. Cell phone use, and the absence of speed cameras help as well.

"You have obviously never gone driving...or even ridden in a car...in Lisbon or elsewhere in Portugal. Perfectly pleasant people turn into maniacs behind the wheel. It makes Boston traffic look sensible and sane.

Or for that matter, in Bolivia where traffic rules are a matter of choice. Or Thailand where direction of travel is left to the individual's conscience and drivers routinely close their eyes in a brief prayer when passing their favorite temples."

***

Don't compare yourself with the lesser countries in order to look good.

(I quote)

The people of Great Britain can be rightfully proud of their great driving skills. Whereas the easy US tests make me wary of American drivers...

http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...-law-versus-us

On Wednesday, June 25, 2014 7:06:25 PM UTC-4, Free Spirit wrote:
"You have obviously never gone driving...or even ridden in a car...in Lisbon or elsewhere in Portugal. Perfectly pleasant people turn into maniacs behind the wheel. It makes Boston traffic look sensible and sane.



Or for that matter, in Bolivia where traffic rules are a matter of choice. Or Thailand where direction of travel is left to the individual's conscience and drivers routinely close their eyes in a brief prayer when passing their favorite temples."



***



Don't compare yourself with the lesser countries in order to look good.



(I quote)



The people of Great Britain can be rightfully proud of their great driving skills. Whereas the easy US tests make me wary of American drivers...



http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...-law-versus-us

From the comments above:

(A British guy that comes to America)

Anyway here's what I've noticed since being over here.
1. The vast majority of people drive about a metre away from the car in front.
2. They are in there own little bubble and oblivious to all other road users.
3. Using phones whilst driving seems to be the norm and particularly prominent in middle aged women driving tank like SUV's whose life is so much more important than anyone elses..

He goes on but forgets the main issue: Blocking the outside lane is bad manners, and bad manners make you a pig.

Russia has only had 25 years to change, while we had 225 years...

(Things are bad in Russia)

In theory, the rules for driving in Russia are the same as in Europe, but they are rarely observed by drivers and are not consistently enforced by the authorities. Compared to western standards, Russian motorists generally drive fast, aggressively and dangerously, with little respect for traffic signs or other road users. There are five times the number of fatalities in road traffic accidents compared with the world's safest countries, so a lot of care is needed. Some Russians drive without a licence, as paying the fines can be cheaper than getting one, so drivers have inadequate training. Vehicles can be in hazardous condition, adding to the seriousness of the situation on the road.

http://russia.angloinfo.com/transport/driving/

***

It goes to their credit they don't have supersized SUVs (do they?) and that they have a fast train from Moscow to St Petersburg.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_...rsburg_Railway

So they have options. Can they get around by bus? We shall find out.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/russia/t...getting-around

Yes, they can.

On 6/25/2014 7:06 PM, Free Spirit wrote:
Russia has only had 25 years to change, while we had 225 years...

(Things are bad in Russia)

In theory, the rules for driving in Russia are the same as in Europe, but they are rarely observed by drivers and are not consistently enforced by the authorities. Compared to western standards, Russian motorists generally drive fast, aggressively and dangerously, with little respect for traffic signs or other road users. There are five times the number of fatalities in road traffic accidents compared with the world's safest countries, so a lot of care is needed. Some Russians drive without a licence, as paying the fines can be cheaper than getting one, so drivers have inadequate training. Vehicles can be in hazardous condition, adding to the seriousness of the situation on the road.

http://russia.angloinfo.com/transport/driving/

***

It goes to their credit they don't have supersized SUVs (do they?)
-snip-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Demx88PmPc

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Thu, 26 Jun 2014 06:27:01 -0500, AMuzi wrote:

On 6/25/2014 7:06 PM, Free Spirit wrote:
Russia has only had 25 years to change, while we had 225 years...

(Things are bad in Russia)

In theory, the rules for driving in Russia are the same as in Europe, but they are rarely observed by drivers and are not consistently enforced by the authorities. Compared to western standards, Russian motorists generally drive fast, aggressively and dangerously, with little respect for traffic signs or other road users. There are five times the number of fatalities in road traffic accidents compared with the world's safest countries, so a lot of care is needed. Some Russians drive without a licence, as paying the fines can be cheaper than getting one, so drivers have inadequate training. Vehicles can be in hazardous condition, adding to the seriousness of the situation on the road.

http://russia.angloinfo.com/transport/driving/

Perhaps why they have such stout bicycles :-)
http://tinyurl.com/m5wtm9r
--
Cheers,

John B.

On 6/27/2014 7:56 PM, John B. Slocom wrote:
On Thu, 26 Jun 2014 06:27:01 -0500, AMuzi wrote:

On 6/25/2014 7:06 PM, Free Spirit wrote:
Russia has only had 25 years to change, while we had 225 years...

(Things are bad in Russia)

In theory, the rules for driving in Russia are the same as in Europe, but they are rarely observed by drivers and are not consistently enforced by the authorities. Compared to western standards, Russian motorists generally drive fast, aggressively and dangerously, with little respect for traffic signs or other road users. There are five times the number of fatalities in road traffic accidents compared with the world's safest countries, so a lot of care is needed. Some Russians drive without a licence, as paying the fines can be cheaper than getting one, so drivers have inadequate training. Vehicles can be in hazardous condition, adding to the seriousness of the situation on the road.

http://russia.angloinfo.com/transport/driving/

Perhaps why they have such stout bicycles :-)
http://tinyurl.com/m5wtm9r


Holy crap, now THAT'S a frame repair!

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Saturday, June 28, 2014 7:54:45 AM UTC-4, AMuzi wrote:
On 6/27/2014 7:56 PM, John B. Slocom wrote:

On Thu, 26 Jun 2014 06:27:01 -0500, AMuzi wrote:



On 6/25/2014 7:06 PM, Free Spirit wrote:

Russia has only had 25 years to change, while we had 225 years...



(Things are bad in Russia)



In theory, the rules for driving in Russia are the same as in Europe, but they are rarely observed by drivers and are not consistently enforced by the authorities. Compared to western standards, Russian motorists generally drive fast, aggressively and dangerously, with little respect for traffic signs or other road users. There are five times the number of fatalities in road traffic accidents compared with the world's safest countries, so a lot of care is needed. Some Russians drive without a licence, as paying the fines can be cheaper than getting one, so drivers have inadequate training. Vehicles can be in hazardous condition, adding to the seriousness of the situation on the road.



http://russia.angloinfo.com/transport/driving/



Perhaps why they have such stout bicycles :-)

http://tinyurl.com/m5wtm9r





Holy crap, now THAT'S a frame repair!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e5...-bicycle-2.jpg

That's in Gorky Park.

On Saturday, June 28, 2014 7:54:45 AM UTC-4, AMuzi wrote:
On 6/27/2014 7:56 PM, John B. Slocom wrote:

On Thu, 26 Jun 2014 06:27:01 -0500, AMuzi wrote:



On 6/25/2014 7:06 PM, Free Spirit wrote:

Russia has only had 25 years to change, while we had 225 years...



(Things are bad in Russia)



In theory, the rules for driving in Russia are the same as in Europe, but they are rarely observed by drivers and are not consistently enforced by the authorities. Compared to western standards, Russian motorists generally drive fast, aggressively and dangerously, with little respect for traffic signs or other road users. There are five times the number of fatalities in road traffic accidents compared with the world's safest countries, so a lot of care is needed. Some Russians drive without a licence, as paying the fines can be cheaper than getting one, so drivers have inadequate training. Vehicles can be in hazardous condition, adding to the seriousness of the situation on the road.



http://russia.angloinfo.com/transport/driving/



Perhaps why they have such stout bicycles :-)

http://tinyurl.com/m5wtm9r





Holy crap, now THAT'S a frame repair!



--

Andrew Muzi

www.yellowjersey.org/

Open every day since 1 April, 1971

http://www.russian-dating-scams.com/...va/Bicycle.jpg

That's in Crimea.

On Sunday, June 29, 2014 12:10:13 AM UTC-4, Free Spirit wrote:
On Saturday, June 28, 2014 7:54:45 AM UTC-4, AMuzi wrote:

On 6/27/2014 7:56 PM, John B. Slocom wrote:



On Thu, 26 Jun 2014 06:27:01 -0500, AMuzi wrote:







On 6/25/2014 7:06 PM, Free Spirit wrote:



Russia has only had 25 years to change, while we had 225 years...







(Things are bad in Russia)







In theory, the rules for driving in Russia are the same as in Europe, but they are rarely observed by drivers and are not consistently enforced by the authorities. Compared to western standards, Russian motorists generally drive fast, aggressively and dangerously, with little respect for traffic signs or other road users. There are five times the number of fatalities in road traffic accidents compared with the world's safest countries, so a lot of care is needed. Some Russians drive without a licence, as paying the fines can be cheaper than getting one, so drivers have inadequate training. Vehicles can be in hazardous condition, adding to the seriousness of the situation on the road.







http://russia.angloinfo.com/transport/driving/







Perhaps why they have such stout bicycles :-)



http://tinyurl.com/m5wtm9r











Holy crap, now THAT'S a frame repair!







--



Andrew Muzi



www.yellowjersey.org/



Open every day since 1 April, 1971



http://www.russian-dating-scams.com/...va/Bicycle.jpg



That's in Crimea.

http://english.people.com.cn/mediafi...1261970192.jpg

That's Ms Sochi promoting the bicycle.

She won the contest by answering correctly that the bicycle is the smartest non polluting vehicle.